Combined writing instrument



May 26, 1925.

- LES G. HOF-MANN ET Al..

COMBINED WRITING INSTRUMENT 2, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb.

jig. 7.

May 26, 192s. 1,539,086 l G. HOFMANN' ET AL.

COMBINED WRITING INS TRUMENT Filed Feb. 2, 1922 2v Sheets-Sheet 2 ummm llrllllllllllln'ln invented certain Patented Mayy 26, 1925.

UNI-Tao v.sfratti-:s PATENT. orricr.

GEORGE HOFMAHN AND ROBERT Gp. SCHROEDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

i T0 RALPH A. ."BARD, TRUSTEE, CF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS.

.assIeNoR-s i COMBINED WRITING Instru-(muur.

Application aied February a, 1922.- seriai no. 533,676. i

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, GEORGE HoFMANN and ROBERT G. SCHROEDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,v have new and-useful Improvef ments in Combined Writing Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has for its general object tol provide, in a combinedA writing instrument, a fountain pen, lead-feeding pencil and leadmagazine, all in simple, inexpensive andeficient construction and cooperation. Among the desiderata of our invention are to provide such construction of the elemental parts of the combined instruments-the fountain pen, pen-cap, and pencil-that, in a single combined instrument of relatively short length, consistent with the" limitation which'public demand. carried writing instrument, there mav-4 be provided a pen element of satisfactoryinkcarrying capacity, a pencil element using lead of satisfactory unit-length, and a fountain pen-ca servingas a leadreservoir or carrier, an all in an instrument lthat will v satisfy reasonable demands-as to balance,

ease of manipulationl and satisfactory appearance. y

For the attainment of these objects, 'and others which will become apparent from the following description, our lnvention consists in the combinations of elements and features of construction hereinafter `set forth and claimed, and in the lustrated for embodiment drawings we have ilpurposes of disclosure a single of our invention in its preferred form of construction, some ofI the details of .which we may claim for their specific advantages, although it will be apparentthat in the broader aspects of our -invention. many changes in detail may be made without departure from the s iritof the invention and within the scope o the claims.

In said drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevaf tion of the writing instrument with parts broken away and showing, in dotted'lines', the position of the cap when the en is in use. Fig. 2 -is an Aenlarged centra vertical section through the pencil assembly; Fig. 3

is a. longitudinal section of the screw-shell and turning-sleeve sub-assembly; Fig.- 4 is` a detail of the propelling nut member with the nut-rim and a nut-supporting arm in section; Fig. 5 .is a sectionv on line of f elevation, of

'1t, and preferably Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of 6;

. Fig. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section' of -th'e lead-niagazine-cap, and Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

with fragments in The fountain pen 10 may be of suitable e self-filling type,

typified bythe resence of the filling bag l1 P he pencil mechanism is made very short in proportion lto the length of lead handled by is seated within the tubular pen barrel only sufficiently for requisite strength of the joint, so that the bag 11 for can-ying the ink of the fountain' pen and is provided with'a cap l 12 constructed for coaction with the end' carrying lthe. pen-point 18 `or the end equipped. with the. pencil mechanism 14.'

may be of adequate capacity.l -In the pencil mechanism the tip shelllG may turn with a knurled operating ring 17 lto which, preferably, it is detachably connected, and the tip shell carries `with it in rotation the feed tube 18 aligning with the orifice 19 of the tip. As shown in Fig. 6,

the tube may be rigidly seated or ,soldered in the smaller end of the generallyconical tip shell, the larger end of lwhich has forceiitted into it an internally threaded ring 20, reinforcing it and 4providing means for its detachable association with the threaded 'boss of.. theknurled turning ring 17. Rigidlv positioned in the barrel element 15 is the internally threaded screw-sleeve 21, with thc threads of which there coacts a nut 22, the body of which enters the feed tube 1B and makes slidable, but nonuotatable engagement therewith, the portion of the body within the feed tube carrying a lead-feeding pin 23 to coact with the end of the lead 24. Specifically, the feed-tube 18 has diametrically opposed slots 25 in its sides, running from the rear end of the tube for approxif mately lcad-length, and the nut structure 22 is formed to provide a rim 26 completely encircling the tube, externally threaded as at 27 and preferably ofsufiicient length to take at least one full thread-turn. Thin diametrically opposed arms 28, to fit in t-he slots 25, connect the rim 26 with the bodypin 23, and in manufacturethe rim may be.

pletely surrounding it thetube is reenforced so that it may withstand a very considerable torsionable strain without bending. Of course, as the tip-carried feed tube is rotated, turning the nut with it, the nut progresses longitudinallyV of the tube by virtue of its threaded engagement with the Vrelatively stationary: screw-sleeve 21 and advances the lead through the tension-spring 29-of the tip-structure.

vFor securing the screw-sleeve 21 in the barrel 15, and mounting the turning ring 17 for free rotatiomyet so that it may be knurled head portion 38 securely positioned, I preferably connecttlie turning ring 17 with the tube-positioning structure in a manufacturing sub-assembly. Thus, as. shown in. Fig. 3, I form up a retaining thimble 30 with its cylinder wall 31 flanged at its upper end at 32 adapted to be cemented in the end of the pen barrel and with its bottom wall 33 provided with a re-entrant ange 34 to form an annular seat, the inner margin of said flange being upset to retain the washer 35 between which washer and the walls of the thimble lthe sleeve member 37 of turning ring 17 engagesvfor free rotation. This turning member may in turn be made in two pieces for manufacturing facility, the threaded collar portion 17 being rigidly fitted into of sleeve 37, and the lrear end of the sleeve being inwardly flanged as at 39 so as to be retained under the washer 35. The nut member 22,-when screwed into the screw barrel 21 may be retained against accidental displacement by retaining rings 40, 40 sprung into the extremities ofthe barrel.

The operation of the construction will be apparent., The nut assembly Shown in Fig. 4 is placed in the screw barrel of the subassembly shown in Fig. 3 and the retaining ring 40 is applied. The parts thus assembled are placed in the fountain pen barrel with the thimble 30 cemented or otherwise retained. A lead is inserted in the feed tube and then the tube is slipped into the screw barrel 21 and its split sides caused to pass between the arms 28 of the nut. The tip is then screwed home on the threaded collar 17 '1 of the turning piece 17, and thereafter,

as the turning piece is rotated in proper d1- rection, carrying with it the tip and feed tube, the nut is caused to progress along the threads of the screw-barrel, advancing the lead.

The cap 12 is formed with its open. end o r mouth engageable with pencil, and the normally-closed end of the cap is formed as a magazine for extra lead. In the specific construction shown a shoulder 43 is internally formed in the cap at a point beyond the range of possible interference with the pen point or the pencilY tip and an inner sleeve, preferably of rubber is inserted either end of the beyond the shoulder to leave a lead-receptive space between the sleevean'd the cap wall, such space being preferably divided into compartments byribs 45 on the exterior of the sleeve, as best shown in Fig. 9. The sleeve-length should be slightly greater than that of a replacement lead and in the open end of the sleeve a collar 47 is inserted, having a flange 48 partly to overlie the leadreceptive spaces. An eraser 49 is preferably carried in this fianged collan, and overlying the eraser we provide a slip-fitted metal cap 50, removable to expose the rubber. Holding clip, 51. may be provided as av ball-ended spring 52, the narrow end of which is passed, as at 54, through an aperture in the cap and then extends, as at 55, along the inside vof the cap in a groove 56 formed to receive it in one of the-ribs 45 of the magazinesleeve.

-It will thus be apparent that by special cooperative construction of pen, pencil and cap elements, we-povide-a 'combined writinginstrument having but little more length than a fountain pen alone of similar inkholding capacity, and yetl including `a mechanical pencil capacitated to receive a lead of satisfactory length, and all with provision for the carriage in a convenient magazine of a large supply of renewal lead.

While we have herein shown and described a single embodiment of our invention in simple, compact form particularly designed for operative excellence and manuf facturing economy, it will be apparent that changes in details of construction may be made without departure from the spirit of our invention within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a writing. instrument of the character described, the combination with an open'- ended shell, of a thimble shallowly seated in said shell and relatively fixed therein, a nonrotatable feed member fixed to the inner or bottom end of said thimble, a rotatable feed member coacting with said non-rotatable feed member, one said feed member having a longitudinal slot and the other said feed member having screw thread provision, a feed nut engaging the slotted and screwthreaded feed members for movement along the relatively stationary feed member as the rotatable feed member is rotated, and a turning member, exteriorly accessible beyond the forward end of said thimble, said turning member entering said thimble for guidance therein and having provision for engagement with the rotatable feed member.

2. ln a writing instrument of the character described, the combination with an openendedbarrel, of. a thimble shallowly seated in and fixed to said barrel; a rotatable structure seated in said thimble and extending a major portion of the interior length thereof,

'sleeve relatively xed as said turning said rotatable structure comprising a turn.

thimble and comprising also a tip-membery detachably connected with said turning member, and leed mechanism comprising a non-rotatable structure mounted in the loottom' or inner end oi said thimble and a relatively the rotatable structure aforesaid, one oir said feed members being longitudinally slotted and the other having 'screw-thread ,brdV vision, and a leed nut engaging both the thread and the slot for axial displacement member is rotated in the thimbleo 3. The combination with a( fountain pen barrel open at its end, ot mechanical pencil mechanism shallowly seated therein comprising a rotatable structure lincluding a portion entering the barrel end for support and a tip structure detachably carried by' saidpor'tion; feed mechanism comprising a member connected with said rotatable struc'f ture for rotation therewith, a non-rotatable member and a feeding nut, one of said meinbers being longitudinally slotted and the other having screw thread provision, both the slot and the screw thread beingv engaged by the nut; and means, including a shallow tlximble that surrounds the feed mechanism and engages the barrel adjacent to the open end of the latter, connecting the inner end of the non-rotatable member with the barrel.

4. ln a device of the character described, the combination with a shell (15) of a screw therein, a turning rotatable leed member engaging. the combination with a member (17) rotatable with respect to said sleeve in longitudinally` fixed position, a feed-tube member detachably connected with said turning member for rotation therewith and carrying a nut, in rotation therewith, and said nut, 'slidable longitudinally ol the feed-tube and making threaded engagement with the screw sleevee y ln a pencil of the character described,

its end, ot a thimble shallowlyseated in said shell and relatively lined therein, a ined screw-sleeve carried by said thimble, a leadn feeding nut engaging said screw sleeve, a lead-feeding tube slidably but non-rotatably engaging said nut, and a rotatable structure at one end lixedly engaging the feedtube and at its other end rotatably engaging in said thimble,

- 6, ln afpencil of the character described, the combination with a shell (l5) open at -its ends, of a thimble shallowly seated in said shell and relatively fined therein, a ned screw-sleeve carried by saidthimble, a lead feeding nut engaging said screw-sleeve, a lead-feeding tube slidably but non-rotatably engaging said nut, and a rotatable structure at one end" inedly and at its otherend rotatably engaging in said thimble, said rotatable'structure comprising two separable sections, whereof that section rotatably engaging the thimble isretained therein against axial displacement and the feed-tubecarrying section is axially removable,

GEORGE HOFMANN. ROBERT G. SCHRUEDER.

shell (l5) open at engaging the feed-tube 

